The National Council of Churches USA has been joined by Christian Churches Together, Churches Uniting in Christ, The Skinner Leadership Institute, Circle of Protection, the North American Academy of Ecumenists, Huffington Ecumenical Institute, Graymoor Ecumenical and Interreligious Institute, Sojourners, and the Georgetown Center for Faith + Justice, to call the nation to prayer for this 2025 Lenten Season. We are uniting to be on one accord in prayer and fasting during the 40 days of Lent, when we focus on lament, sacrifice, repentance, reflection, and renewal. The prayers that follow are from members of each of these organizations. They will also be posted daily on our social media channels. As we join together, we are ever mindful of our ecumenical mandate from Jesus’ prayer in John 17:21-23 (NRSVUE), “that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us,[a] so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
Watch our Ecumenical Lenten Prayer Webinar
A Lenten Prayer
O merciful, ever-loving God, we rejoice and praise you that you have called each one of us by name and have created us uniquely in your own image, giving glory to your holy name. At the moment you deemed worthy—through the power of the Holy Spirit and the humble obedience of your servant, Mary– you sent your only son, Jesus, to be one of us, living among us and showing us how to become more fully alive in your presence. Jesus showed us how to love, to trust, to forgive, to show compassion in his name, and to be always open to your surrounding grace, your gift from above.
We thank you, God, that through the life, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus, you have redeemed us and set us free from the unsatisfying and unfulfilling consequences of selfishness and sin. You have opened the gates that confine us, to a new world of hope and promise, made possible through the Paschal Mystery of Jesus your Son, by his victory over death and glorious resurrection. Worthy is the Lamb who has saved us!
As we Christians—ALL who bear the name of our savior, Jesus the Christ—enter on Ash Wednesday into this annual springtime retreat of Lent, we ask you, God, to journey with us as we submit ourselves to the enduring Lenten practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, allowing these opportunities to be part of our daily sustenance and routine for forty days. May they help purify us as we venture together to the holy city, Jerusalem.
May our prayers during Lent be not only for our personal needs and hopes, but also for our faith congregations and local civic communities, for our various denominational churches, our country, and for the larger world in which we live. May we continue to respect and safeguard mother earth and all your creation. May we also treat one another respectfully with charity as you call us to love our neighbor as ourselves, and to welcome the stranger regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, orientation, nationality, status or persuasion.
Help us to fast not only from food, but to fast from pettiness and jealousy, gossip and untruths, cynicism and meanness of spirit. Help us to see the best in each other, recognizing your intentional plan that we have dependence on each other as children of a loving, merciful God who forms us into the one Body of Christ, the Church. Help our fasting be a visible sign and tangible longing for the true satisfaction we seek in life: to serve you above all things as we build a community of love, reconciliation, justice and peace.
As we prepare for Holy Week– the end of our Lenten Season and its final three-days, remembering and celebrating the sacred, salvific events of our faith–may we remove the ashes of our penance and be washed clean in the Easter and baptismal waters of the Resurrection, renewing our common commitment to the One who has called us by name, and sent his son Jesus to be our Savior. In Christ’s holy name we pray. Amen!
Written by Father Robert B. Flannery, Ecumenical and Interreligious Officer of the Catholic Diocese of Belleville, Christian Churches Together Steering Committee Member, Catholic Association of Diocesan Ecumenical and Interreligious Officers Past President, National Workshop on Christian Unity Past National Chair, Illinois Conference of Churches Past Co-Chair, Parliament of the World’s Religions Trustee, Saint John’s University School of Theology and Seminary Regent.
A prayer for those who are losing Jobs
Creator, Wakan Tanka, ever loving and ever present. Watch over your servants who stand in the liminal place of the unknown. Their path has shifted, and uncertainty presses in. Hold them close in this moment. Remind them: they are not alone. They are not forgotten. They are not abandoned. When fear whispers…speak louder with Your truth—
That says their work is not in a job but in being Your beloved: That says their identity is not in a title but in being your creation; That says even in this wilderness, You are making a way.
Put into them the courage of their ancestors, the strength of those who walked before, and the wisdom to trust in something they cannot yet see.
Surround them with people who uplift; who remind them they are loved, who bear witness to their gifts , and who walk beside them in the waiting.
God of new beginnings, open the doors they need. Bless their hands, their heart, and their heads with Your hope. Fill them with the certainty that they are held, always…by You, by their people, and by the love that never lets go. Amen.
Isaiah Shaneequa Brokenleg, Racial Justice Officer for The Episcopal Church
A prayer of lenten Faithfulness
In the midst of the chaos of this unsettling and often jarring Lenten season, Holy God, we seek you. We, your children from the church spread across this region of your Creation, pray you will not hide your face from us. In unity we call upon you now, as we know you are near.
We thank you for your love, your patience, your faithfulness, and your peace. In our frustration with the world around us and our desire for justice, we confess with the psalmist that our thoughts are not your thoughts, and our ways are not your ways. For you are higher than our thoughts and our ways, and so we bow before you in humility. We believe we know the path forward, and at the same time, we know we are only able to see in part. So, we pray you might have mercy on our angry self-righteousness and be gentle with us in our striving.
At the same time, in our humility we pray that the words of generosity and truth your Spirit calls forth from our mouths will not return empty. We know this is our time to be bold in our representation of you and your Son. Though we are battle worn, we are ready and willing. So, we ask you to please use us to accomplish what you intend for your world. May your people unite in calling forth that which you wish to prosper. In the midst of the swirling confusion, use us to make your path clear and your ways obvious.
And, even as we seek your faith and desire to walk in your ways, we pray that you will bend our hearts toward forgiveness. May you have mercy and abundantly pardon both the wicked for their actions and the righteous for their condemnation. It is your face we seek, your path we wish to follow. Please do not hide from us, Blessed God, but use this Lenten journey to mold us into your people together. In the name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Rev. Dr. Jean Hawxhurst, President, Churches Uniting in Christ
Create and Renew
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
Psalm 51:10 (NRSVue)
Almighty and Everlasting God,
We come to you, aware of our need for renewal.
Create in us clean hearts. Create in us hearts that have room for your love to dwell. Create in us hearts that reflect your grace and mercy in the world. Create in us renewed hearts to do the right things: love you fully and love others as we love ourselves, live with integrity showing kindness to all, and work to make it possible to live peaceably with everyone.
Renew our spirits, O God, that we may be filled with the courage to surrender all that hinders our walk with you. Renew our spirits that we may be transformed to become instruments of your peace. Renew our spirits as we pause to reflect upon the truths within us in an uncertain global environment.
May we emerge from this season of resentence as bearers of your love, actively pursuing a life that brings glory and honor to your name. And, it is in the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
A Lenten Prayer by Bishop Vashti McKenzie, President and General Secretary, National Council of Churches
A prayer of surrender
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and sustain in me a willing spirit.” Psalm 51:10-12 (NRSVue)
Gracious and Holy God, I come before You, humbled and open. As we enter this Lenten season, I ask You to create in me a clean heart. Strip away the layers of pride, the remnants of old wounds, and the weight of things I should have let go long ago. Make room in me for Your Spirit to dwell and move freely.
Lord, I surrender to Your refining fire. I lay down my own agendas, my hidden motives, and even my reluctance. Search me, God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts. Where there is fear, plant courage. Where there is bitterness, sow grace. Where there is weariness, breathe new life.
I am not asking for ease or comfort. I am asking for clarity. I want to see as You see, to feel as You feel, to love as You love. Let my prayer not be a ritual but a lifeline. Draw me deeper into communion with You, where my soul finds rest and my spirit gains strength.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, Lord. Let me not move through this season on autopilot. Let me be present, fully alive to Your presence, fully attuned to Your voice. May each step I take during this Lenten journey draw me closer to Your heart and may the work You do in me bear fruit for Your kingdom.
Thank You, Lord, for hearing me. Thank You for Your patience and Your promise. Thank You for not giving up on me. I trust you, Lord. I trust you with all of me.
In the name of Jesus, who walked the path of sacrifice before me, I pray. Amen.
By Dr. Rodrick Belin, President & Publisher, AME Publishing House, African Methodist Episcopal Church
AN Orthodox Lenten Prayer
O Lord and Master of my life, do not permit the spirit of laziness and meddling, the lust for power and idle talk to come into me.
Instead, grant me, Your servant, the spirit of prudence, humility, patience, and love.
Yes, Lord and King, give me the power to see my own faults and not to judge my brother. For You are blessed unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian (4th Century)
Submitted by Rev. Protopresbyter Dr. Nicolas Kazarian, Director of the Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical & Interfaith Relations of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Prayer in response to psalm 27
Eternal God, our Light and our Salvation:
We pray for your illumination in every shadowy place in our world.
We pray for those who struggle to see light in the darkness,
those who mourn and grieve unspeakable loss,
those who are displaced and discouraged,
those whose lives and hopes are disrupted needlessly,
those who continue to be threatened and are therefore fearful.
Make us attentive by the power of the Holy Spirit
to be courageous in all the places we find ourselves.
May we be bold and loving servant leaders.
May we bear the Light of Christ in the world without fear.
May we be confident of the companionship of Christ in every challenge.
May we be hopeful in the promises of Christ
even in this ashen, Lenten season of confession and penitence.
We pray that we might see holy goodness in the land of the living, even as we share confidence in the hope of the life to come.
In the name of Christ, the Light of the World, we pray. Amen.
Written by Bishop Hope Morgan Ward Ecumenical Officer, United Methodist Church
Forgive Us. Renew Us. Help Us, O God
Gracious God,
We come before you with open hearts, acknowledging the ways we have fallen short of your glory and yet, trusting in your unrelenting grace that always calls us back to wholeness.
We confess, O God,
We confess that we have been complicit in systems that can cause hurt, harm, and danger to our siblings; systems that oppress, marginalize, and silence the voices of the vulnerable.
We Repent, O God,
Our repentance is not a passive act; it is a turning toward what is right, a reorientation of our very being to the radical love of God that stands with the oppressed, the marginalized, and the silenced. We repent, not for guilt’s sake, but rather for transformation. Deepen our commitment to a love that liberates, to a love that seeks restoration.
Forgive us, O God.
Forgive us, O God, and help us to face the hard truths about our behavior and the ways we need to change. Forgive us, as we have allowed our biases and comforts to shield us from the fullness of your call to justice.
Help us, O God,
Help us to reflect deeply on the state of our hearts, on the ways we have failed to embody your love in the world, and on the ways we have neglected our call to stand in solidarity with those whose voices and lives are too often dismissed. Help us Lord, not only to look inward, but also to look outward to the faces of the traumatized and troubled, the lost and the lonely, and the recovering. Help us to see in them the very image of God.
Renew us, O God,
Renew us not only in our individual souls but in our collective spirit. May we have the courage to disrupt the patterns of injustice in our world, and the wisdom to reflect on how we can contribute to a world that is truly free, a better world that mirrors your kingdom of justice, peace, and love.
Now, O God,
Let our renewal come with the strength to act, and let our reflections draw us closer to the heart of the God who loves us all. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
A Lenten Prayer by Bishop Vashti McKenzie
A prayer of Renewal
“Yet even now, says the LORD, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing.” Joel 2:12-13 (NRSVue)
Lord of Mercy and Compassion, I hear Your call to return. I feel the gentle yet urgent pull to draw closer to You. I do not want to merely go through the motions of repentance; I want my heart to break open before You. I want my return to You to be real, to be whole, to be wholehearted. Help me to rend my heart, not just my habits. Help me to bring my full self to You—the messy, the confused, the hopeful, the wounded. I am not trying to impress You, God. I am here to be transformed by You.
I choose to fast, not to prove anything but to make space for You. I choose to weep, not to wallow but to wash away what needs to go. I choose to mourn, not in despair but in expectation of new life.
You are gracious, Lord. You are merciful. You do not allow me to be crushed under the weight of my mistakes. Instead, you draw me back into Your embrace, into Your rhythm, into Your love. Amen.
Written by Dr. Rodrick Belin, President & Publisher, AME Publishing House, African Methodist Episcopal Church
A prayer for lent in the wilderness
God of the wilderness and the way, God of Egypt and the Promised Land, And the desert in between, Here we are again on the Lenten road,
A path of preparation, testing, suffering,
A way through the wilderness.
The road is unfamiliar, though we have walked it many times before.
We trust that we are not alone. We remember Moses and the Israelites Who followed you,
And you led, protected, and provided. We look to Jesus, driven to the desert by the Holy Spirit,
And you strengthened him by the same Spirit.
We long for your leadership, protection, provision, and strength. We long for your Spirit and your Word.
O God, lead us to repentance. Strip away all that keeps us from your truth. Unveil the times we have been silent when you called us to speak. Uncover the injustice we have ignored, The suffering we have turned away from, The comfort we have chosen over courage.
Let the wilderness teach us, refine us. Open our eyes to the world as you see it.
God of truth and mercy, give us the strength to name what is broken, To confront injustice with unwavering love. May we tell the stories that need to be told. May we create community where there is division. May we strive for justice for all people and for all creation.
Let our fasting be a fast from indifference. Let our prayers rise not only in words but in action, in solidarity, in love.
Holy One, we trust in your promise That though the road leads to the cross, The road does not end there—That beyond this wilderness, beyond every wilderness, There is resurrection.
Beyond this moment, there is a future made new by your grace.
Fill us with faith for that future. Let us be bearers of hope, sowers of peace. Lead us through the desert. Protect us, provide for us, strengthen us. On this Lenten road, transform us. And through us, transform the world.
In the name of Jesus, who walked the road before us, and walks with us now.
Amen.
Written by Dr. Brian Sigmon, CEO/Publisher, Friendship Press
A prayer for hospitality
“He said also to the one who had invited him,“When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers and sisters or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 And you will be blessed because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Luke 14:12-14 (NRSVue)
Gracious and welcoming God,
We live in a world where relationships are increasingly defined in transactional ways, and people who have little are labeled parasites. Help us to remember that all people, regardless of circumstance, are created in your image and therefore have inherent worth and blessings to share.
May we follow the example of your Son Jesus who welcomed, healed, and ate with many kinds of people and criticized those who gave hospitality only to those who could repay them. Open our hearts, our hands, and our tables to give a banquet—not our leftovers—to people who are poor, disabled, unsheltered, refugees, immigrants, or marginalized. Show us the face of Jesus in the faces of our neighbors, and awaken us to your voice speaking through their words.
Empower us with your Holy Spirit that, as Jesus challenged his host to have a different vision of hospitality, we may proclaim an inclusive vision of human community to leaders who are denying many people a place at the table.
Teach us prodigal hospitality, O Lord.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, who is the bread of life. Amen.
Written by Maria Tjeltveit, Retired Episcopal Priest and Member of CUIC Coordinating Council